Automobile license-plate attachment



July 9, 1929. H. D. BARNE1T AUTOIOBILE LICENSE Pi1-'YE ATTCHUBNT Filed ray 3i, 1927 INVENTOR III Il' earrylgaurwli ATTORNEY C Parenteel any e, 1929.

iiJNlTED STATES HUGH DEAN BARNETT, OF LONG-BEACH, CALIFORNIA.

AUTOMOBILE LICENSE-PLATE ATTACHMENT.

Application led May 31,

My invention relates to license plates for motor-vehicles, and it has for a purpose the provision of an attachment therefor by which issuance of new plates annually as is now the practise and the expense attendant thereto are eliminated.

My invention embodies the provision of a simple and inexpensive attachment which is applicable to the present license plate for 1o visibly indicating the current year of use ot' the plate, the attachment being removable from the plat-e at the expiration ot' the current year to be substituted by a similar attaclnnent bearing the number ot' the new year. In this manner the attacluncnt-s are changed each year and may be issued by a State license bureau for a license fcc in the 'same manner as the present license pla-tes but without the annual removal and discarding of` plates as is now the practise. lt is not diilicult to realize the tremendous expense involved in the annual issuance ot' license plates, and that by the provision of my attachment, such expense is rendered needless.

I will describe only one form of license plate and attachment thereof embodying/any invention, and will then point out the novel features in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a View .showing in rear elevation an automobile having applied thereto one form of license plate and detachment embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken on the line 2-2 ot' Fig. 1. K Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the attachment shown in the preceding views.

Referring specifically to the drawings, my invention in its present embodiment comn s prlses a conventional form of license plate i P, constructed of sheet metal or othcrsuitable materiahi` and on the face of which are embossed andl enameled digits representing the number ofthe license and a letter identifying the series' of the number, all clearly shown in Fig. l. vInxlieense plates of this character, certain of the digits of the number are spacedv apart suflciently to accommodate an abbreviation of the name of the State by Awhich the license yis issued, and the year of the license.` Ihis indi/cia is embossed and painted inthe same manneryas the license number, and because ofthe fact that it dis- 1927. Seriz No. 195,461.

closes the particular year for which the license plate Was issued, at the expiration ot' the year the plate becomes useless, and in accordance with the present practise it is necessary to make and issue new license plates.

My invention embodies the provision otv an attachment for the present license plate by which it can be used from year to year by the annual substitution of a new attachment bearing the date of the current year. rlhe attachment in the present instance comprises an elongated plate, preferably corresponding in length with the width of the license plate l), and as shown in Figs. 1 and t bearing an abbreviation of the State by which the license plate was issued, numerals representing thev current year 'and numerals representing the license number of the plate to which it is attached. The plate is indicated at T, and may be constructed of sheet metal with the identifying indicia embossed and painted in the same manner as the indicia on the license plate. The plate is of such width as to be interposed between the spaced plate digits Without covering the latter as illustrated in Fig. 1. Medially of its ends the'. plate is formed with tongues 15 bendable so as to be extendable `through slots 16 in the license plate P and to the rear side of the plate for securing the medial portion of the plate T to the license plate. As shown in Fig. 2, the plates P and T are provided with suit-able openings through which bolts 17 are extended to provide further means for detachably securing the plates to each other. The opposite ends of the plate 'l may be bent as indicated at 18 to accommodate the conventional bead 19 on the face of the license plate, in order that the attachment when applied will lie contiguous to 'the license plate.

lVVitlrthe attachment applied, it will be manifestthat by virtueI of the indicia thereon, the State by which a license is issued and the year thereof will be clearly indicated on the face of the license plate. At the expirationof the ensuing year as indicated by the year number on the attachment, it

stitutedl bearing the license number and thc number-of the new year, and the abbreviation of the State. In this manner the attachment plates can be issued annually in i lace of the entire license plate, the latter ing retained by the owner fromv year to A can be readily removed and a. new one sub- Y year, thus eliminating the tremendous ex.- `Apense attendant the annual issuance of license plates as-is now the present practice.

Although I have herein shown` and described only one form of automobile license ,plate attachmentembodying my invention, itis to-be understood that various changes and modiiications may be made herein Without departing 'from the spirit of the inventangular shape, bearing indicia identifying vthe State, the license number, and the culerent 4year of use'of a license plate, towhich said plate is adapted to be attached, bendsaid plate to the license plate, the plate having openings adjacent its ends, bolts extend- .ible through said openings and adapted to be extended through openings in the license plates, and nuts for the bolts adapted to co-operate with the latterin providing an additional securing means for said plate, the plate being provided -With grooves extending transversely adjacent its ends, in which .conventional beads on the license plate are adapted to bereceived to aid in positivelyl positioning said plate on the license plate.

' HUGH. DEAN. BARNETT. 

